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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24700615">Blind Date</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinelaborenihil/pseuds/Sinelaborenihil'>Sinelaborenihil</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Age (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:40:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,555</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24700615</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinelaborenihil/pseuds/Sinelaborenihil</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Modern AU where Major Cassandra Pentaghast is set up on a blind date with Varric Tethras, Investigative Reporter.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cassandra Pentaghast/Varric Tethras</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Blind Date</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I wrote this in about 45 minutes in response to a reddit writing prompt: Modern Day AU A date that couldn't have gone worse but couldn't have turned out any better</p><p>Characters belong to Bioware, GOT belongs to G.R.R. Martin and HBO. </p><p>I tried to think of an organization Cassandra could be in that would have put Hawke at risk and the military made the most sense to me. I also can see Varric being pretty skeptical of the military and definitely writing something inflammatory because, well, Varric.</p><p>I know this is totally bananas, but I hope you enjoy anyway!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Major Cassandra Allegra Portia Calogera Filomena Pentaghast, Cass to her friends, hurried out of the Crossfit gym, anxiously glancing at her phone. She was running late for her first date with some friend of Leliana’s. She didn’t have a lot of hope for the date, he was some writer, probably a philosophy major who smoked a pipe and could wax poetic about American Beauty. Still, she loved Leliana for trying and Maker knew that her love life had been a little quiet. But being a Marine made it hard to date. Fraternization was a quick ticket to getting discharged, and the service was her home.<br/>
</p><p>She glanced down at her phone and saw a message from an unknown number. “Hey, Leliana gave me your number. I got us a table at Hightown. Hope that’s all right. I’m the one with the chest hair ;)”<br/>
</p><p>Cass gave a disgusted snort, rolling her eyes. It was going to be that sort of date, was it? Still, she wasn’t one to back down. She made her way to the bar that was clearly part of a gentrification effort and opened the door. She saw the man right away. He was sitting with his back to the wall, the glow of his laptop screen illuminating a gold necklace nestled in what was admittedly an impressive rug of chest hair. Cass felt her eyes widening as she looked up at his face, recognizing him immediately.<br/>
</p><p>Varric Tethras, the investigative journalist.<br/>
</p><p>“You!” she sputtered, stalking over to the table. “You are the one who wrote that ridiculous article about women in the military!”<br/>
</p><p>Varric looked up at her, a bushy eyebrow raised. “Well, shit,” he said, sounding amused. “Nightingale always did have a sense of humor. And it wasn’t about women in general. It was about my friend, Marian Hawke, and how the role of corpsmen like her are often overshadowed by stories about jarheads like you!”<br/>
</p><p>“You are an insufferable little man!” Cass snarled.<br/>
</p><p>“You have no idea,” Varric replied. “So, care to get a drink?”<br/>
</p><p>“You must be joking,” Cass retorted. “Why would I want to have a drink with you?”<br/>
</p><p>“Well, if my friend the Nightingale was telling the truth, you like at least some of my writing,” Varric replied. “I hear you’re very invested in the Knight-Captain,” Varric continued, a canny look in his eye. “Sorry about the cliffhanger at the end of the last one.”<br/>
</p><p>Cass stared at him, her eyes wide. “You wrote Swords and Shields?” She shook her head. “No. I don’t believe it. Those books are magnificent and weren’t written by the ‘investigative journalist’ Varric Tethras!”<br/>
</p><p>He put a hand over his heart. “You wound me,” he said. “Don’t think I didn’t hear the air quotes in how you said my profession. But you’re right, they were written by the inimitable Ravik Sathrest, who is just enough of a narcissist to still want his name on his work, but not enough to let it get in the way of his,” he made air quotes “investigative journalism”.<br/>
</p><p>“It’s an anagram,” Cass said. “Oh sweet Maker, I am going to <em>kill</em> Leliana!”<br/>
</p><p>Varric chuckled and motioned a waiter over. “Tell you what, let’s have a few drinks, talk about the Guard-Captain a little bit, and we can see where the night takes us. What do you think?”<br/>
</p><p>Cass sighed and nodded, ordering a glass of sangria for herself, much to Varric’s apparent surprise.<br/>
</p><p>“What?” Cass asked waspishly as she sipped her drink.<br/>
</p><p>“That is just...sweeter than I was expecting,” Varric said, taking a sip of his single malt scotch. His lips quirked into a smile that made him look alarmingly...handsome. “Though I suppose a woman who likes my ridiculous romance serial must have a softer side.”<br/>
</p><p>Cass snorted. “So why did you write that article?” she asked. “It made a lot of people angry.”<br/>
</p><p>“You included,” Varric noted.<br/>
</p><p>“You had choice things to say about my mentor,” Cass said.<br/>
</p><p>“Ah yes, General Dorothy Justinian,” Varric said, shrugging. “She was a part of the institution, hence part of the problem. She let bad shit continue just to keep the peace.”<br/>
</p><p>“You don’t know her at all!” Cass retorted.<br/>
</p><p>“I know that people like her are why my best friend is on a shit ton of medication just to be able to sleep at night,” Varric growled back. “She should have listened when problems started cropping up.”<br/>
</p><p>“She did the best she could!” Cass said.<br/>
</p><p>“It wasn’t enough,” Varric said flatly. “And it almost cost me the person I love the most in the world.” He glared over at her. “I don’t want anyone else to have to go through that. So I wrote the article.”<br/>
</p><p>Though Cass felt the surge of defensiveness for her mentor, as well as the Marines, the only real family she had left anymore, she also felt a pang of sympathy for Varric. His love of his friend had shone through in the article, and even now there were angry tears in his eyes as he clenched and unclenched his fists.<br/>
</p><p>“I’m sorry,” she said, surprising herself. “I will admit, I am inclined to be biased in favor of the only family I have left.”<br/>
</p><p>“At least we can agree on that,” Varric said wryly. “Here’s to found families,” he said, relaxing slightly. He ordered another round for them both and it didn't take long for them to find something else to argue about.<br/>
</p><p>“You can’t be serious!” Varric said, sounding aghast. “Cass, Ned Stark was an idiot!”<br/>
</p><p>“He was a good and honorable man!” Cass retorted.<br/>
</p><p>“No one is saying he isn’t,” Varric replied. “But look where that got him. He should have wised up and played the game!”<br/>
</p><p>“There are more important things than-”<br/>
</p><p>“Than being there for the people who depend on you?” Varric interrupted with real heat. “Than living to fight another day?”<br/>
</p><p>“Then you have no use for honor?” Cass said. “Duty?”<br/>
</p><p>“Only in my books,” Varric said, rising abruptly. “I’m sorry, Cass. I think you’re a woman of principle, an impressive one, at that.” He gave her an appraising look. “And not just for your service record. But I already have one headstrong, honorable woman in my life. Another one might just break my heart.” He picked up his laptop back and tossed a wad of bills onto the table. “Try not to get yourself killed doing the right thing.” He strode out of Hightown, leaving Cass staring after him. Before she thought about what she was doing she was on her feet and chasing after him. She caught him outside, sliding into the back seat of a Lyft.<br/>
</p><p>“Varric, wait!”<br/>
</p><p>He looked up at her curiously. “What is it, Cass?”<br/>
</p><p>She scooted in next to him. “I was not done arguing with you yet.”<br/>
</p><p>He chuckled and made room for her, though she could see wariness in his eyes. They were quiet for the long ride back to his apartment. It was in one of the less well-to-do areas of the city, and when he opened the door Cass caught a whiff of books. Sure enough, once he’d hung their coats and led her down the narrow hallway, she found herself in a bright, cheerful studio apartment with walls lined with books.<br/>
</p><p>“Drink?” Varric asked, going to well-stocked bar cart.<br/>
</p><p>Cass nodded, suddenly nervous. This wasn’t like her. What was she doing? What was it about this infuriating little man that drew her in?<br/>
</p><p>Varric surprised her by pouring them both a glass of wine. “I don’t want booze to cloud our judgement too much,” he said wryly. “So what did you want to argue about?”<br/>
</p><p>Cass blushed and Varric took a step towards her. “Or is that not why you’re here.”<br/>
</p><p>She took a sip of wine to steady her nerves and set the glass down on the coffee table. “You are an annoying little man,” she growled, putting her hands on her hips.<br/>
</p><p>“You like me enough to follow me home,” Varric replied, grinning.<br/>
</p><p>Cass narrowed her eyes and took a step forward, taking a hold of the lapels of his button down shirt. She was gratified by the way his pupils filled his gray eyes as he looked up at her, his breath quickening. “I might like you a little,” she admitted. “Mostly I think that you are irritating and that you talk too much.”<br/>
</p><p>“There are ways to stop a man talking,” Varric retorted, holding her eyes as he smiled. “Nonviolent ones, I should specify.”<br/>
</p><p>Cass kissed him hard, moaning as his arms wrapped around her with surprising strength. His kiss was firm, but oddly sweet, and she felt herself smiling. They stood kissing for a long time before they broke away, breathing a little hard. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Cassandra smiled down at him. “I still think you are infuriating,” she said with mock severity. “But at least  your mouth is good at more than just talking.”<br/>
</p><p>Varric chuckled and nodded towards the mahogany murphy bed. “Much more,” he said quietly. “I’d be happy to show you.”<br/>
</p><p>Cass blushed. “I think I’d like that,” she said, letting him lead her over. Later, when they were lying naked and panting,, Cassandra had to admit, as badly as the date had started out, it had certainly ended well.</p>
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